Browns Welcome Dallas Test

Shapecity · Sep 6, 2008

What better way to kick off the Browns' season of expectations than with America's Team, the team picked by many to win the Super Bowl this season?

"We couldn't ask for anything more," said Browns defensive end Robaire Smith. "Why not go out right from the start and see where we stand? Right now, with 13 Pro Bowlers, the Cowboys look like the best team in the NFL on paper. So if we even want to stand a chance of playing with these guys, we've got to bring our best."

The Cowboys come in with a nasty scowl after going 13-3 last season and then losing at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

What's more, they're scary in season openers, boasting a 32-15-1 record for the NFL's second-best winning percentage at .667. But an opener on the road? In hostile Cleveland Browns Stadium, where the Browns went 7-1 last season?

Doesn't faze them. They're 17-8 in road openers -- including two wins in Cleveland -- and cut a 7-1 swath through opposing stadiums last season.

"They're the Super Bowl favorites and everybody talks about how good they are," said tight end Kellen Winslow. "But I think we're a good team too. We have high expectations for our whole team, not just the offense. It's all about who can execute better [today]."

But what about the Browns' wretched record in season openers since their return? This marks the 10th straight season opener at home since 1999 -- and they're 1-8 in those games. The lone victory was a 20-3 decision over the Baltimore Ravens in 2004. And who can forget last season's fortune-changing 34-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on opening day last season?

"As we saw last year, the first game certainly doesn't make a season," said Browns General Manager Phil Savage. "I think that's one of the real lessons learned last year is that it's not really how you start, it's how you finish and overcome bad things.

"We got off to a horrible start last year -- it couldn't have been any worse. But we recovered from it and ended up winning 10 of our next 15 games.

"I think the benefit of it this year is that it's a nonconference game, it's an NFC opponent. I think it will be a good measuring stick to find out where we are right off the bat. It's important, but it's not the end of the world. It's not going to put us in the Super Bowl if we win it. It's certainly not going to change anything if we lose it."

Browns consultant Jim Brown is convinced the team is better than last season, when it went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs.

"I feel good about the team," he said. "The injury situation bothers me, of course, but that's part of the whole thing. The thing is, we could have a better team and a worse record, based on the schedule and injuries. But I think we have a chance against anybody."

The mark of a champion, Brown said, is the ability to shine in the spotlight -- and the Browns will appear in five prime-time games and several other nationally televised games, including today's.

"You use that as an advantage," he said. "You must have center stage. When you go to the U.S. Open, you want to be on the big stage. You don't want an easy schedule. It's a tremendous opportunity for this team, because we have the ability. But they have to show they're mature enough to handle it."

The Browns played only four winning teams last year and beat one, the Seattle Seahawks. This year, they play eight winning teams, including seven that made the playoffs, the previous three Super Bowl champs and two teams that finished 13-3.

"If you're concentrating on working on your dance after a play, then you probably don't have a chance in hell of really being successful," Brown said. "With that kind of individual thinking, it would be very hard to have the kind of team chemistry needed to deal with this kind of schedule."

Brown already has taken new nose tackle Shaun Rogers, viewed as a dissident in Detroit, under his wing.

"Shaun Rogers is a great addition to this team," Brown said. "This kid's got a great personality and he's a good human being and a natural leader. If we encourage him, it will pay dividends on and off the field."

It will take standout games by players such as Rogers, quarterback Derek Anderson and the other Pro Bowlers today to beat the Cowboys, who counter with Pro Bowlers of their own with quarterback Tony Romo, receiver Terrell Owens, tight end Jason Witten, left tackle Flozell Adams, center Andre Gurode, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, and safety Roy Williams.

"This is a very good team all the way across the board," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "As you look at them, you can't really find a weakness. Everyone says the secondary is supposed to be one, but look at the No. 1s they have back there and you have to scratch your head and try to figure out why that's a weakness. They're just good everywhere. So we're just going to try to hold on and do the best we can."

Hadnot out: Right guard Rex Hadnot (knee) has been ruled out and will be replaced by Seth McKinney.

Sanders on board: Receiver Steve Sanders was signed on Saturday from the practice squad and receiver Paul Hubbard was released.
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Source: Cleveland.com

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Browns Welcome Dallas Test

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